


All that matters

by Aces_and_Roses



Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, I FIXED IT GUYS, M/M, Near Death Experiences
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-05 01:55:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20481005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aces_and_Roses/pseuds/Aces_and_Roses
Summary: When Hamid had started running, had left Zolf behind, he’d fully intended to get somewhere safe (with no distractions, no detours, no trying to save him, despite how desperately he wanted to). It was what Zolf had wanted, after all; if nothing else, at least Hamid could do that for him.





	All that matters

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sequel to ['Just a little more time'](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20390161), because I'm apparently incapable of leaving something with a sad ending.

It had been an accident, in the end. When Hamid had started running, had left Zolf behind, he’d fully intended to get somewhere safe (with no distractions, no detours, no trying to save him, despite how desperately he wanted to). It was what Zolf had wanted, after all; if nothing else, at least Hamid could do that for him.

But he’d barely been able to see where he was going, his vision blurred as it was by his tears. So he hadn’t seen the root sticking partially out of the ground and he’d caught his foot on it, stumbling forward and falling face-first into a nearby bush.

It had been an accident, but it was the most fortunate accident he’d ever had. Because that was when he saw it, as he was pushing himself up onto his hands and knees, ears straining to hear the horrible _thump-scrape_ that would tell him the creature was close (that it had gotten past Zolf, that Zolf was de-) and hearing nothing. There, next to his left hand, hidden in the center of the bush where it had presumably been camouflaged by the leaves he’d knocked out of place when he fell; a small, glowing box made of shiny silver metal. It was like nothing he’d ever seen but, somehow, he knew exactly what it was.

He blindly ran his other hand over the nearby ground, unable to take his eyes off the device, as though it would disappear if he looked away for even a moment. HIs hand landed on something hard and rough, and he grabbed it, lifting it up to hover over the device on the ground. It was a cobblestone, heavy and solid.

It would do the trick. It had to.

He smashed the stone down onto the device once, twice, three times, over and over until the glow finally faded. He felt it, as it shut down, like a weight lifted from his shoulders, a fire being stoked from the embers smoldering in his chest.

He was up, running back in the direction he’d come, before he’d even fully processed what it meant. The anti-magic field was _gone_; he had his magic back, which meant Zolf did too. His legs would be working. They could get out, get away.

Unless…

No.

_They would both be safe._

He ran as quickly as he could, back toward where he’d left Zolf (back toward the creature), fervently hoping that he wasn’t too late. He was abruptly thankful that he hadn’t gotten very far before he tripped, the muscles in his legs burning as he sprinted through the edges of the estate, keeping a careful eye on the ground so he didn’t fall again (he couldn’t afford to lose time, not now, not when the few moments it would take him to recover from the fall could mean the difference between Zolf surviving and-). 

He couldn’t think like that. He’d get there in time. He had to.

He heard what was happening, first. There was a roar, so loud it almost hurt to hear, and a sound like something being slammed into the ground so hard that it tore beneath the force. There was a grunt, much quieter by comparison, the sound of blade cutting flesh, and a cry so unnatural that Hamid had no doubt it was the creature (not Zolf, thank the gods).

All of that meant one thing; Zolf was still alive. And not only that, he was still fighting back. Hamid had a chance, he could _save him_.

_That was all that mattered._

Another grunt, another cry, the sound of tearing dirt once again, barely audible to Hamid now past the pounding of his heartbeat in his ears. Pain shooting up his legs with every step as he pushed himself to go _faster_, _run harder_, _get to Zolf._

_Save him, that was all that mattered._

Then, just as he got close enough to see Zolf and that horrible, lumbering creature; he heard the very sound he’d been dreading the most, accompanied by a sight he’d never forget. The creature slamming one of its bulbous limbs down, catching Zolf’s arm with the blow, pinning it to the ground and knocking his glaive out of his grip. Zolf crying out, an agonized sound that Hamid had never heard from him before (and never wanted to hear again).

Hamid forced himself to skid to a stop, no matter how much he wanted to keep going, to get close and tear that creature apart with his bare hands for _daring_ to touch Zolf. But he knew he wouldn’t be able to do that, and that he was no good to Zolf dead; he needed to keep his distance, at least until he took care of the creature (but that _sound_ that Zolf had made). He threw his hands out in front of him, a Scorching Ray arcing toward the creature from his fingertips, hitting it dead-center.

_He had to save him._

It cried out again, raising its limb from where it pinned Zolf’s arm to the ground, turning to face Hamid. Hamid felt his legs nearly go out from under him as the creature roared, and he found himself clutching at his head as the sound ripped through him. 

Then he heard something else, distant and muffled past the ringing in his ears. “Hamid!”

Zolf’s voice.

Hamid gritted his teeth against the pain in his head, looking up to see Zolf struggling to his feet, cradling his injured arm to his chest, clutching his glaive with the other hand.

He cast scorching ray again, distracting the creature as Zolf finished getting up and started running toward him. The thing stumbled sideways, crying out once more, but this time it seemed to be in enough pain that it couldn’t summon the focus it needed to roar again.

_Keep it distracted. Save Zolf. That was all that mattered._

Zolf didn’t stop running when he got to Hamid, just grabbed one of his hands to pull him along. His glaive was strapped to his back now, though Hamid hadn’t noticed him do it.

“Come on,” Zolf said between gasping breaths. “It’s slow, we can outrun it.”

So they ran, Hamid trying to focus on the feeling of Zolf’s hand gripping his, rather than the burning pain in his lungs, his legs, practically his entire body. Zolf helped him recover every time he stumbled, urging him on as he pulled him back to his feet again and again.

Zolf was right, the creature was slow, and it didn’t take them long to get far enough away that it gave up, the _thump-scrape_ of its movement fading slowly away. Even then, they kept going for a while more, both unwilling to risk it, unwilling to believe that it would be that easy. But it _was_, and a few minutes later found them both slowing to a stop, breathless and exhausted.

“Zolf,” Hamid said, his voice rough from his gasping breaths, moving to Zolf on legs that felt moments away from giving out entirely. “Zolf, you’re… We’re…”

_Safe_.

Zolf opened his arms as Hamid approached, and he fell into them gratefully, burying his face in Zolf’s shoulder as he felt his arms go around him. He noted distantly that he was shaking from all the adrenaline, now that it had nowhere to go, his body trembling as Zolf held him close.

“It’s okay, Hamid. We’re okay.” Zolf was rubbing soothing circles on Hamid’s back as he spoke.

_They were both safe._

“Zolf, I thought-” A sob tore it’s way out of Hamid’s chest, cutting him off, quickly followed by another, and another. Through it all Zolf just held him tight, gently pressing kisses into his hair while Hamid cried into his chest.

It took a while for Hamid’s sobs to taper off enough for him to speak once more. When they finally did, though, he pulled back from Zolf slightly; just enough to look him in the eyes, to take a moment to memorize his face. Zolf’s face; his green eyes red-rimmed, tear-tracks staining his cheeks, and still as beautiful as ever. Something that, for a while, Hamid believed he’d never get to see again. “I thought I’d lost you.”

Zolf lifted a hand to cup Hamid’s face, his thumb wiping away a stray tear running down his cheek. “But you didn’t. We’re both here, we’re alright. That’s… that’s all that matters.”

Hamid leaned into his touch, turning his head to kiss the inside of his wrist.

_They were safe. That was all that mattered._


End file.
